


The Rise

by CrunchySalad



Series: The Reno Rufus Diaries [1]
Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Canon Compliant, Drama, Explicit Sexual Content, M/M, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-06-13
Updated: 2010-06-13
Packaged: 2017-10-19 10:32:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/199876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrunchySalad/pseuds/CrunchySalad
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As an errand boy named Reno becomes entangled in a relationship with Rufus Shinra, he is thrown into the heist of his life and his eventual position with the Turks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Chance Encounter

He had been outside the city gates, once. He wasn't sure how, or why, but he remembered he had gone with his mother way back when he actually had one. He remembered how the fresh, open air had made him sick, and how shocked he had been when it actually got dark at night. He was so happy to get back to Midgar, to its recirculated air, perpetual lights, too much noise and too many people. There was a vague sense in his head that not every one in Midgar lived like this, but those were above plate people, and their world was as foreign as to him as the world outside the city gates.

Then his mom died, sick from some illness that had been going around their slum that year, and he had been sad but that was life. Bad breaks, kid, and he made a pretty comfortable home for himself in some jungle gym, underneath soft blue neon lights that looked almost like real daylight, forever stuck in dawn. That was until he learned to make his own money, doing unsavory odd jobs and errands for equally unsavory people, and upgraded to one of the so-called sector 9 coffins, one-room rectangular apartments that could just about fit a bed, a toilet, and a shower head that dangled over one of its corners. Nice and cozy, just the way that Reno liked it.

* * *

Shinra Tower rose up through the middle of Midgar, above the clouds, above any other building in the city. In a world where height and space meant status, it was a beacon and a reminder. Rufus Shinra looked out from one of the building's many balconies, into the sea of skyscrapers laid out below him. Their tops were visible above the clouds, which were not, only dark masses in the equally dark night sky. It made the buildings appear to vanish into nothing. A sea of glass and lights.

There was soft music coming from inside Shinra Tower. Rufus turned, straightening his jacket before returning to the party. . . a silly congratulatory party for the mayor's re-election, he believed it was. He didn't even know why his father participated in the sham politics of the day; one of his many pointless pursuits, Rufus gathered.

As he made his way into the room, he would offer no false smiles, would indulge in no small talk, and the sycophants who frequented these events would give him a wide berth even as they murmured about him behind their hands and napkins. Even as a teenager, he cut an intimidating figure, something he used to his advantage. He wouldn't even go to these parties at all, except for one reason: to let the people see the man who would, one day soon, be ruling them all.

* * *

Reno's second-hand bike sputtered to a stop about one block away from Seven's Pizza. He gave it a few kicks to no avail, and, after letting out a few choice four-letter words, left it on the side of the narrow, broken down street.

"Fucking piece of trash," he muttered, pushing his goggles up into his hairline and walking the rest of the way. Man, he really hoped she didn't die on him. . . as unreliable as she was, losing her would really put a damper on his work. Maybe he had just pushed her too hard. He had spent the day delivering packages back and forth through three sectors.

"Do not ask what's in the box," Tins had said, voice clipped and gruff, hands large and calloused around a comically small cardboard container. "Do not look inside the box. Take it, deliver it to this address. Get a new box. Get a new address. Rinse and repeat. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah, old man," Reno had replied, grabbing the package and getting on his bike. "I know the spiel. That's why you hire me, yeah?"

Now, Reno was covered in soot, dust, and who knows what else, and shuddered to think what color the water would run when he washed off later tonight. He pushed the door open, making his way to slump down in a stool by the counter.

"Man," he started, the man behind the counter already pouring a beer for him, "it's been a long day."

"Every day's a long day for you, Reno," the man replied, a cheerful enough smile on his lips.

"We should trade jobs sometime," Reno said, and they both laughed at the notion. "Here's to you, Dill."

Dill nodded as they both tipped full beer glasses at each other. "You're just lucky your best friend works in a pizza place."

"Don't I know it. So what are you serving today?"

Dill's eyes lit up in a way that never ceased to send chills down Reno's spine. The boys had known each other for forever, them and Hedge, or at least what counted as forever below plate. Dill was, generally, an unassuming kind of guy, black-haired and brown-eyed, not as skinny as your normal slum punk and taller to boot. He was more than happy to keep himself out of the more dubious exploits common to the slums, working the counter at this place while Seven took care of other business ventures around town. His dream was to own his own food shack someday, if Seven would go in as the funding partner, but his dream was tempered by a palate that was, well. . . "Reno, you are going to love it. It's a peanut butter tomato sauce, topped with salmon and cheese."

"How about a slice of just cheese?" Reno asked. "My stomach's been doing cartwheels all day."

"No way, man," Dill said, his voice suddenly full of cold finality, "I need input. Test subjects, if you will."

"Thanks. That makes me feel loads better," Reno said, paling as a jumbo slice of the creation was unceremoniously slopped down in front of him. He picked it up and bit off a piece. "Not. . . awful."

"No nausea?"

Reno shook his head.

"Feelings of wanting to vomit?"

"No."

"Well, you're not turning funky colors this time." Dill smiled, seeming extremely happy with himself. "I dare say I've improved as a chef."

Reno nodded, cringing as he took another bite of the pizza. A flurry of long, spiky caramel-colored hair came into the store than, dropping leather-encased limbs down into the stool next to Reno.

"Hey, Hedge," Dill said. "How are things above plate?"

Hedge shook his head in exaggerated movements, his many facial piercings jingling as he did. "Man, those rich perverts are into some crazy shit."

Hedge's career path had found him in a job delivering discreetly-wrapped packages from a local porno store, mostly to above plate clientele with more degenerate tastes. There were, Reno supposed, some things you couldn't get even up in that little paradise of theirs.

An added benefit, or disadvantage, depending on circumstance and opinion, of Hedge's job was the loneliness common to some of those rich old ladies. Some of them took a very particular interest in Hedge, an exotic specimen in their monotonous lives, and it was no secret how he picked up some cash on the side. "Let me tell you what this one old lady asked me to do with her cat. . ."

"Hedge," Dill interjected, "too much information."

"Hey," Hedge said, a large smile spreading across his face, "if those little bitties want to put some extra money in my pocket, who am I to judge?"

"Little?" Reno scoffed. "I've seen a few of your women, and they're cows, yo."

"Hey, hey, out of the three of us, who exactly is doing the best, money wise?"

"I guess drinks are on you tonight, then," Reno said.

"Cheers to that," Dill agreed, and the three toasted to Hedge's hard-earned cash.

* * *

Reno sent his fist down into some guy's face, hearing bone crush underneath the steel knuckles he had put on. He looked at the guy's face, pulpy and purple, and wondered if he had done enough.

"Client wants some one beaten up," Tins had said, passing Reno a photo through the small slot in the bullet proof glass of his weapons shop. "Name and address on the back. Not enough to kill him, but almost."

Reno had only nodded. . . asking questions, after all, was dangerous business in his line of work. As it was, Reno dropped the lapel of the guy's polyester suit, giving him a few kicks in the stomach for good measure. The guy had been unconscious for awhile now, but now his breathing had slowed noticeably, and Reno figured he had done his job. Well, another day another dollar, he thought, and he preferred these jobs over delivering packages all day. Hedge might enjoy playing delivery boy, but Reno wasn't a fan.

Reno wiped his hands on the guy's suit and stood up, slipping the knuckles into his sweatshirt pocket. He made his way out of the alleyway and around to the main thoroughfare, on his way back to Tins' place. He made it maybe three blocks and was rounding a corner when he saw the man coming out of a bar: a blue suit. The navy blue rich wool that other people just didn't wear, and even a slum punk like Reno knew what it meant.

Blue suits meant Shinra, Shinra meant money, and money meant power.

Reno slowed down as he walked towards the blue suit, openly staring at the man, tall and cool as he leaned against the wall.

"Hey, kid," he said as Reno walked by, "got a light?"

Reno stopped, nodded as he reached into his pocket. In one smooth movement he lit the man's cigarette and had the lighter back in his pocket.

"Thanks," the man said, taking a drag of his cigarette. When he blew out the smoke they were perfect, concentric rings.

"No problem," Reno said, digging his hands deeper into his tattered sweatshirt before walking off.

He found Tins in the backroom of his weapons shop. Not that the old man did that much in the way of weapons. . . what he sold was supplemental to his little outsourcing business.

"Yo," Reno said, making his way over, "job's taken care of."

"Jesus, kid!" Tins nearly shot up from where he was taking apart a rifle. "How the hell did you get in here?"

Reno shrugged. "Picked the lock."

"I'm not going to get any complaints on this job, am I?"

"Do you ever with me?"

"Not yet," Tins capitulated, taking some bills out of his pocket and counting them out for Reno. "Don't show up to work tomorrow. I'll be gone for awhile."

"Wait, what? For how long?"

"For an indefinite period of time," Tins answered.

"But what about me? What am I gonna do for work?"

"Not my problem," Tins said. "Now get out of my shop."

Reno clenched his fists by his side, but if Tins was closing up for awhile, what the hell was he supposed to do about it? He settled for kicking a nearby bucket across the room, screws falling out in an arch, before stomping out of the shop. Well, shit. . . he went through his contacts in his head, thinking about who he could and should hit up for some work. He had enough money in his pocket for maybe a week's worth of expenses. He could maybe squeak by for longer, but he needed more cash for when his rent came due, or else it would be Dill's couch for awhile.

That was where he headed now, knowing Dill would be working at Seven's at this hour. Reno was a quiet storm as he crashed through the door and sat down at the counter, and Dill knew enough about him that he just poured him a drink and didn't question him. After an hour of stewing and a few beers, though, Dill couldn't really keep from saying anything.

"Reno, you're scaring away the customers. Maybe you should go drink somewhere else."

"Can't afford it. Tins is closing shop for awhile. Looks like I might be headed for a dry spell."

"You're a resourceful guy, Reno. You'll find work. I can always talk to Seven if you want."

"He needs some one tailed or beaten up? Cause I'm not interested in food services."

"You never know."

And Reno was never more grateful than when Dill put a slice of plain cheese pizza in front of him.

The next day Reno woke up with a splitting headache. Fucking alcohol. How could something so perfect turn on you so violently the next day? He made a blind grab for the pack of cigarettes he knew was going to be on his bedside table, making several attempts before he connected with them. Slender fingers fumbled to get a cigarette out, but then it was in his mouth and he was taking a drag, and he felt minutely better. Better enough, at least, to sit up, back hunched over his lap, as he wondered what he was going to do with his day.

First stop: Wall Market. Reno made his way to the cramped office of a bookie he knew, hoping he could get some work in enforcement or debt collection.

"A scrawny kid like you?" the bookie asked, laughing a little.

"Come on," Reno insisted. "You know I can take on guys bigger than me any day."

"Sorry, Red. I'm not looking to hire any muscle right now."

Reno mad his way through his list of contacts, but everywhere he went he heard the same thing. Tough luck, not hiring. He was really at the bottom of the barrel when he found himself in front of Gabe Mortimer. Mortimer was generally involved in things Reno saw as antithetical to his survival. The redhead was all about taking chances, but he was smart enough to stay away from anyone who might kill him, and Mortimer made it a habit to get involved with people he shouldn't.

The man eyed Reno carefully from across the desk, shifting his sizable weight forward. Three-hundred pounds of pure muscle, Reno sometimes wasn't sure how the guy could even move. "I might have something. All my boys are working on other things right now, and you've done good for me in the past."

"Yeah, Mort, you know I don't disappoint."

Mortimer's chair creaked loudly as he leaned back in it, tenting his large fingers in his lap. "There's something I want. Maybe, my man, you can go get it for me."

* * *

Reno smoothed down the silk purple dress shirt he had borrowed from Hedge. Fancy. That and the skinny black pants and he could almost pass as an above plater. A lower class above plater, but that was just fine and dandy for his purposes tonight. He was at some type of social club. . . a Honeybee Inn, he guessed, for a classier crowd. It sat right on plate, the ground floor of some mega-building. He lounged on one of the swank, electric blue and black couches, flirting and chatting it up with the girls who worked there, careful not to let any of them talk him into buying them a drink. His attention, however, was elsewhere, eyes lazily scanning the room in a way as not to be noticeable to others. Twenty minutes in that place and then he saw him, bookish, slender, grey streaks in his black hair. He chatted some more, eyes always on that man, and when the man got up so did he.

"If you'll excuse me, girls, nature calls."

"Come back soon, Reno," they cooed, even as their eyes scanned the room for more willing customers.

Reno followed the man, who was indeed heading to the bathroom. He was only a few feet behind him, but his footsteps were falling snow, and the target didn't even notice him. There was a man at the urinal, and Reno winked at him in a knowing way as he followed his target into the stall.

"Perverts," the man muttered. The target was finally aware of the presence behind him, was turning around, but the door was already closed and it was too late.

Reno saw the shock in his eyes but didn't even let him get out a sound. In an instant he placed a well-aimed punch into the man's stomach, simultaneously placing an arm around his back so he didn't make any noise on his way down to the floor. Sure enough, the man crumpled into his arms, and Reno laid his unconscious body down gently on the toilet. He made quick work of the target's pockets, keeping the cash he found as an extra bonus for himself.

"Gotcha," he whispered, grin spreading over his face as he found what he was looking for. A black and white USB drive. What was on it, Reno didn't know and didn't care, but he knew he was going to make enough to live on for the next year once he got it back to Mortimer.

"Did you lock the door?"

Reno looked up at the sudden voice, then looked down, below the walls of the stall. Expensive, steel-toed black dress shoes, and navy blue wool. Shit. Reno moved slowly, surely, as he went to stand on the rim of the toilet, making sure neither his nor the target's legs were visible under the stall.

"Yeah. No one's getting in."

"What about Wong?"

"He knows to knock."

Reno froze. Wong. . . shit. Fuck. What had he gotten himself into this time? As it was, he was pretty sure Wong wouldn't be knocking on the door, since Wong was currently passed out in a toilet stall with one street kid from below plate.

"Who is this fucker anyway? Never heard of him."

"Wutai government. Defector or something, I dunno."

Wong moaned then, a short, barely audible thing, but the whole room froze. Reno held his breath as he felt his heart race, listening to the footsteps as they came closer. . . closer. . . closer.

The door swing open.

"Hey, I think I found Wong," the blue suit in front of him said, a sadistic smile spreading across his face, "with an extra bonus, even."

Reno had a decision to make, and half a moment to make it in: die now, or make an enemy of Shinra, Corp. and die later. He chose the latter. In an instant there were knives in his hands and he was swinging out at the blue suit, movements graceful and jagged at the same time, instinctual movements that came not from formal training but from a life spent on the wrong side of the plate. A slice of red on a cheek, a fist coming at him, a dodge and a well-placed kick. The blue suit was going down, down long enough for him to run, knives out as he ran towards the next blue suit.

The other one was already running towards him, nunchuks out, and they were hitting him against his ribs, knocking the wind out of him. He stumbled, and the blue suit took the opportunity to get a punch into the side of his face, but he was swinging his arm around. The guy screamed when the metal of Reno's knife was stabbed into his bicep, and Reno knocked him to the floor, running past him to get out of the bathroom and out of the hallway.

And all in under a minute.

Reno pushed girls and clients out of the way as he ran through the club. There were surprised screams and footsteps coming after him, and all he knew was that he had to lose these fuckers and fast. Then he was rounding a corner. The first thing he saw was a white suit, blue eyes both cold and amused. Blue suits flanking him, and Reno had his knife out, looking for a way through in the split second he had before running into them. But the element of surprise was against him and they were in a more stable position, so when Reno swung his knife out at the man in the white suit, he found his arm captured in a harsh grip and twisted around, then felt the sting of cold, hard metal smash into his cheek. His vision blurred, and then it went completely black.

* * *

A gentle humming. And. . . cold air, against his skin. Air conditioning? He had felt it, once, sneaking into what passed for a high-class restaurant below plate. He was kicked out a minute later, but he remembered that feeling, his skin tingling with it even hours after he was pushed into the stale humidity that lingered always in the walled city below plate.

Reno opened his eyes. His face throbbed from where it had been hit with the butt of a pistol. His wrists were sore, and he realized that there was rope tying them together and above his head. It was dark in the room, dark like the night sky outside Midgar, with only a dim, flickering ceiling fixture to provide the light. Reno stirred, eyes widening as he became more aware of one singular fact. He was completely naked.

He struggled a little bit as he became aware of his position. He was kneeling on a bed, legs spread apart using ropes at his ankles, arms together and stretched upwards towards the ceiling. He pulled at them, but only hurt himself more than anything else. There were too many ropes and they were too tight.

"I have to say, I'm quite enjoying the view right now." The voice was a frigid blast of air, and Reno couldn't help the shiver that went down his spine. He opened his mouth to shout some kind of obscenity, only realizing then that it was wrapped around a sphere-shaped gag.

Instead, he focused on the other man in the room. He was sitting in a chair by the table, a glass of some amber-colored liquor in his hands. The man in the white suit. Reno could get a better look at him now. Short, straw-blond hair and eyes the color of glaciers. The man was slim, but not skinny, filling out his perfectly-tailored suit. And he looked young. Maybe even Reno's age.

He got up, moving towards Reno, those classically handsome features coming better into view. He had a vial in his hand, some orange thing filled with pills or tablets, and he shook one out into his palm before discarding the bottle onto the bed.

"I hope you don't mind the accommodations," he said, moving forward so one knee was on the bed. "We're still in the Blue Room, you see. Their private rooms leave much to be desired, but they'll do for our purposes. They're far better, I'm sure, than what the likes of you are used to."

Reno yelped around his gag as a cold hand reached down past his balls, a finger pressing just slightly against his ass. His eyes widened as he realized the guy was pushing one of those pills up there. He struggled, more than anything scared of whatever unknown drug was being introduced to his system, but with the ropes he couldn't really do much.

The hand moved upwards to brush Reno's hair out of his face, tracing down to his lips.

"Your lips really do look delicious around that gag. I wonder what they would look like wrapped around. . . other things."

A flick of the man's wrist and the gag was suddenly falling out of his mouth.

"Perverted fucker!" Reno screamed, before he was viciously backhanded. There was a force behind it that made black spots appear in his vision, and then his hair was being grabbed in the man's fist and pulled back almost to the point of neck breaking.

"I think that you will find it wise to cooperate," the man said, his eyes clear and cruel as they looked down on Reno. "If I don't kill you, there are plenty of men outside this room, outside this building, who will, Reno."

Reno laughed, because, at this point, what could he do? The guy had checked his id; Shinra knew who he was now. He was probably as good as dead. "Yeah? So what do you want? Information? Who sent me and all that jazz."

"No. Information is something we have an abundance of."

"Yeah, so. . . a little stress relief, then? Fun with the slum punk before you let him run back to the gutter?"

"What makes you think we'll be letting you go back? Alive, that is."

The man let go of Reno's hair, and his head fell forward again. He carefully schooled his expression into nothingness, but his heart was racing at the speed of sound. Patience, he thought. As hotheaded as Reno could be, he knew that when he was outmanned or outgunned, patience was the best thing a guy could have going for him. Wait for an opening, any opening, and take it. All you had to do was survive until then.

"Just kidding," said the man, his tone a twisted mockery of how a normal person would joke around. "If you behave, I'll let you go."

"Yeah." Reno gulped, almost inaudible because his throat was so dry. "Whatever."

The man was standing in front of him now, and Reno closed his eyes as he heard a zipper being pulled down. Something was pressing against his lips, hard flesh, and Reno instinctively moved his mouth away. Another backhand, harder this time and from the other side, and Reno swore that he saw stars.

"I can make this much more unpleasant than it has to be," came that cold, cold voice. "And I think it goes without saying that if I feel even a hint of teeth, you'll be dead a second after."

Reno nodded, his mouth only slightly parting, but the man used the opportunity to ease his length into it. Reno gagged after it was about halfway in, thick and heavy on his tongue, but tried to relax as the man seemed intent on pushing the whole thing down his throat.

"Well. Don't you look pretty like that."

Reno glared his best with a cock in his mouth, but then the man's hand was grabbing the hair at the back of his head and pushing it forward. He had to concentrate on not gagging, especially when the man started moving his hips in long, forceful thrusts. Reno was starting to get dizzy, a funny feeling spreading through his head and his body, concentrated on the hardness that was beginning to grow between his legs. He moaned around the cock that was fucking his mouth, wishing he could reach down and touch himself, wishing he could reach around to pull that cock deeper into his throat.

"I see the drug is kicking in," the man said, almost breathless. His hands on the sides of Reno's face, he pulled his cock slowly from his mouth, Reno leaning forward in a futile attempt to follow it. Reno had to settle, instead, on reaching his tongue out to take a ball into his mouth, sucking gently as he swirled his tongue around it. He was so hot his body felt like it was on fire, his cock so hard he felt like it could burst. What had the man put inside of him?

But then a tension was being released from his wrists, and he was sliding onto his side on the bed. Two well-lubricated fingers were pushing at his opening, and he tried to squirm away, but his limbs felt heavy.

"Stop," he murmured, barely able to pant out the word.

"You say stop, but look at how hard you are." The man wrapped his other hand around Reno's erection, squeezing out the drops of pre-cum that had gathered on the tip. Meanwhile, his fingers pushed themselves into Reno's entrance, and Reno gave a gasp as they sunk in. "And look at how your body just sucked my fingers in. This ass was made to take cock."

"Bastard," Reno breathed, no conviction at all in his voice.

He was being turned over to his back now, the man, still fully clothed, taking position between his legs. The man's cock was pointing up over the open fabric of his pants, long and slender, the color of a blushing peach, and Reno wished he could take it in his mouth again. What the hell was wrong with him. . .

The man's hands were on the inside of his thighs, applying pressure, and Reno helped to spread them wider for him. The man was kneeling, was pulling Reno half onto his lap, upper back still on the bed, and Reno could feel the tip of his cock at his entrance.

"Don't," he said, cringing as he felt the head of it breach his opening. He moaned, more in pain than in pleasure, as the man slowly pushed in and out of him, each time forcing in another inch. It hurt. Not so much to be unbearable, and not as much as his first time, but there was a dull pain nonetheless.

Reno arched his back as the man was finally in all the way, his balls pressed against Reno's ass. It had been so long, too long, since he had felt so full. The pain was gone now, and he tried to wriggle, tried to move, anything to gain some friction. He didn't have to wait long, though, and then the man was thrusting in and out of him, fucking him, and it felt so good to have a cock inside of him like that.

Reno didn't know how long it took, but then he was coming, white spurts falling out onto his stomach as his cock twitched violently, coming harder than he ever had before. His vision darkened, and then it was just black.


	2. Bumblebee

Reno saw bright light on his eyelids before he was aware of waking up, much too bright for him to be back at his windowless coffin. The sense snapped him to attention, and then he was staring up at the ceiling with eyes open wide. He turned to his side, cringing when a familiar soreness made itself known, mouth dropping open a little bit as he looked out the window.

High-rise buildings, streets, people walking down plant-lined sidewalks. Daylight, so much more vibrant than the artificial light he was so used to. He was above plate. Reno cringed again as he sat up, feeling crusty and gross, skin flaky with dry sweat and other things. The man in the white suit was nowhere to be found, not even a trace, so Reno figured it would be okay to use the shower to rinse off.

The man in the white suit. Sick, sadistic pervert. His degradation at that man's hands. . . Reno flushed, glaring down at his traitorous nether regions for the twitch he had just felt. But. . . he was alive. The guy had let him go. Reno wondered, stomach fluttering, if this meant he was cool with Shinra. The last thing he wanted was an army of blue suits or, God forbid, SOLDIERs coming after him. The man in the white suit had seemed to be connected with the organization, and if a night of kinky sex was the trade off for being able to keep his life, Reno was okay with that.

He came out of the shower, still sore but cleaner than he had been in a long time, and found his clothing in a neat pile on a chair. He made a check as he put it on. The money he had lifted from Wong was there, though the USB drive was not. Well, at least he had made some money, and it would keep him for awhile. He left the room and the club, stepping out into the fresh air. Funny, he thought, heading to the nearest inter-plate elevators, it didn't bother him as much as it did when he was a kid. The fresh air and the sun on his skin. . . it kind of felt nice.

At this time of day that was a huge line going up plate, maids and other menial laborers reporting to work, but there wasn't much going down, so Reno didn't have to wait too long. Pretty soon he was back in the slums and on his way to Gabe's place.

He was soon in the familiar office, clutter threatening to spill out of the walls, guards stationed just outside the door.

"My man," Gabe began, "do you have the goods?"

"What the fuck, Mort?" Reno asked, leaning forward a bit as he gripped the armrests of his chair. "You didn't say anything about Shinra being involved!"

Gabe's face turned pensive, fingers folding in and out of themselves. "I take that as a no."

"You bet your ass, it's a no! I barely got out of there alive, for fuck's sake."

"And how did you?" Gabe stood up then, slowly, calmly, behind his desk, and his massive bulk made Reno flinch a little bit. "Get away from Shinra, that is."

"It's not like I haven't gotten away from worse. Sides, who knows if they're going to come after me or not. Mort, this is not what I signed up for."

Mort nodded, sitting down again. "Perhaps I should have been. . . upfront from the get go."

Reno snorted. "Ya think?"

Mort counted out some bills and laid them out on the table, a thin stack equidistant from both of them. "A payment for your troubles. If Shinra gives you trouble, be sure to let us know."

Reno stared at the money, incredulous. It looked to be about one-fourth of what he would have made had the transfer gone through, which was still a good haul for him. He had come to Gabe's expecting to play him for another, less dangerous job, but was happy to find the large man in a generous mood today.

"Now, friend, I have some business to attend to."

"Yeah, sure," Reno replied, scooping up the cash to wad down his pocket. "I'll be seeing you then."

Gabe watched as Reno left the office, his facial features betraying only deep thought and no emotions.

"A penny for your thoughts." A deep voice, smooth and well-educated. The man attached to the voice detached himself from the shadows to enter the room. Well-muscled but slim as compared to Gabe's hulk, the man bore himself with that perfect posture common to Wutai inhabitants, his sleek, black brushed up and back from his face.

"There's something funny about that boy," Gabe replied. "The Blue Room must have been crawling with Turks last night. Even if they didn't kill him there, they would have killed him by this morning. So what the fuck is he doing walking into my office? Reno's good for a slum punk, and he's lucky, but that luck doesn't play when Shinra's involved."

Gabe leaned forward, reflecting. Many people might look at him and see all brawn and no brain, but there was a reason why he had gotten to where he was in the world. Navigating the Midgar underworld was tricky business, and Gabe was still alive and thriving for a reason. Finally, he turned to his confidant. "Yuta. Do you think you can have someone follow him? See if he's hiding anything. Of course, it could all be nothing, but. . . doesn't hurt to be a little paranoid."

"Of course," Yuta replied, "consider it done."

* * *

"What's it like being unemployed?" Hedge asked jokingly, as the three friends nursed some beers during a rare day that they were all off.

"I'd say it feels pretty damn good," Reno said, waving the bills he was using to pay for another round. "What's it like working the nine to five?"

"Not bad when you have a friend treating you to drinks every night," Hedge replied.

The three were at a tiny bar named Seventh Heaven, another one of Seven's properties. According to Dill, though, the place was hemorrhaging money, and Seven was eager to sell it off. If only he could find a naive buyer, some one who wasn't from Midgar, some one who didn't know what dumpy business it did.

"Do you know what would improve these nachos?" Dill asked, sampling the standard Seventh Heaven fare. "Anchovies and corn."

"No," Hedge and Reno said in unison.

"My friends," Hedge started, clearing his throat, obviously preparing for another one of his little speeches. "It's a truly momentous occasion for which we have gathered here today-"

"Being off from working?" Reno asked, at the same time Dill said, "What's with the language? Are we at a wedding?"

"-as I was saying, a day on which we have all been off of work has not occurred in a fortnight-"

"I'm pretty sure none of us even knows what a fortnight is, yo."

"-and to celebrate, I propose that we move our boozing and carousing to the one, the only, the legendary Bumblebee Inn."

Reno raised an eyebrow. "Isn't Bumblebee full of cross-dressers and fat chicks?"

"I told you he had a thing for the big ones," Dill said to Reno.

"Hey, don't knock them till you've tried them," Hedge said, "more cushion for the pushin, is all I'm saying."

"Hey, Dill," Reno said.

"What, Reno?"

"How are a fat chick and a moped similar?"

"Gee, Reno, I don't know, how are they similar?"

"They're both fun to ride, until your friends catch you doing it."

Reno and Dill burst out laughing, Hedge only shaking his head at their little joke. "Not cool, man, not cool."

"Fine," Reno said, "you want Bumblebee? Let's go to Bumblebee. I'll even pay for your room, if you manage to land a girl."

"Sweet. Well, what are we still sitting here for. Onwards, gentlemen!"

The three of them stumbled out of the bar and towards the garishly lit Sector 8. It wasn't much of a walk, and they had no problem getting into the club. Hedge, after all, had had a member's only card since they had been thirteen. They settled into a couch in the corner of the auditorium. No shows were on tonight, but the alcohol was always flowing at Bumblebee, and it wasn't long before there was a cluster of girls around them. Hedge was all over a pretty, if somewhat fuller figured, girl, who he spent about an hour talking to. He stood up then, the girl's hand in his, and rubbed his fingers together in front of Reno.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll put it on my tab."

Eventually Dill started to regale the girls with his slightly-exaggerate adventures as a master chef, and Reno took the opportunity to go use the restroom. He was coming out of the bathroom when Hedge came running by, a huge pair of panties hanging around his neck.

"Dill! Reno!" he yelled, out of breath, "we have to go!"

Dill looked away, pretending he didn't know who Hedge was. Reno, on the other hand, had no such luxury, as Hedge grabbed onto his sleeve as he ran past. He was caught up in Hedge's pace as they ran out of the club, footfalls close behind them.

"What the fuck did you do this time?" Reno yelled, but Hedge only laughed.

"The girl? Don Corneo's daughter!"

Reno had to laugh at that. Dill seducing the daughter of Sector 8's most degenerate pimp. . . still, pissing off Corneo was no laughing matter. He and his goons weren't the most skilled, or even competent, people around, but they still managed to fuck a guy up pretty bad every now and then. Plus, they had the numbers game won when it came to two kids from the gutter.

Reno followed as Hedge cut a corner, then shot into the half-open door of some abandoned building. He followed, a few seconds behind, and found himself abruptly stopped as he ran into another person. He steadied himself and looked up, into all to familiar blue eyes. Reno flushed at their proximity, at the man in the white suit's hand wrapping around his arm.

"Fancy meeting you here."

But then the man was letting go, and Reno took the opportunity to run.

The man watched him for a little bit, but then the goons who had been chasing Reno and his friend came to a stop in front of him. The man regarded their questioning expressions for just a moment.

"I believe the gentlemen you're looking for went that way," he said, pointing in the opposite direction.

* * *

Reno slid a hand into his boxers, scratching as he made a way to the tiny refrigerator he had bought for the coffin. There wasn't really any space for it, so right now it stood under the shower. It was either that or next to the toilet, and Reno didn't like the idea of his beer next to the questionable plumbing. He reached in and grabbed a bottle, cigarette dangling from his lips, wishing there was a way he could drink and smoke at the same time.

A knock on the door, and Reno groaned. If it was his landlord he was early, and Reno could do without that old man's crap for today.

"I'm coming, yo," he called, not that it would take that long to get from one end of the coffin to another. He swung open the door, and stopped, cigarette falling from his mouth.

The man in the white suit, only he was in a black suit today. Through his shock Reno had a fleeting thought that the black suited him better, that he looked good, better than a man in a standard, drab black suit should.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Reno asked, but the man was already inside, closing the door behind him.

"So this is how the rest of the world lives," he said. "How absolutely tragic."

"I asked you a question," Reno snarled, treading the boundaries of what he could and couldn't get away with. The guy didn't seem to be with any guards or blue suits today, and Reno thought that maybe he could take him, incapacitate him and run. He'd have to run the hell away from Midgar, if he had any chance of staying alive, but it was an option.

"It's your fault, you know. After seeing you the other day I realized that I should come visit. Catch up on old times."

"Funny," Reno spit out, not bothering to ask what someone like this guy was doing below plate to began with, how he had gotten Reno's address. Nothing was above Shinra, not in a place like this. The man was coming closer to him now, and Reno backed up, backed up until his head hit to wall with a painful thud.

"What's your name, anyway?" he asked, partly to stall as he figured out what he was going to do, partly out of nervousness. He flinched as the man came to within a few feet of him, placing one hand, and then the other, on the wall on either side of him. "It's not fair that you know everything about me, and I know nothing about you."

"Rufus-"

"What kind of name is-"

"Rufus Shinra."

Reno felt his blood run cold, any thoughts of fighting and running away disappearing from his head. Rufus' breath was hot against the skin of his neck as the blond man leaned down to place a kiss there, and when he came back up his eyes were a laser focus on Reno's face. Amused, measuring, a cat playing with its food.

"What's wrong, Reno?"

"Nothing," Reno managed to get out, wondering at the mess he had gotten himself into this time. The son of the de facto ruler of the free world. His reputation had reached even the farthest crevices of the slums, stories about what was done to people who had pissed him off. "I think you should leave, yo."

"Do you," Rufus purred, coming a few inches closer. "Let me explain a few things to you, Reno."

Reno flushed at their proximity, at the body heat that was coming off the other man in waves.

"One. What you think is of absolutely no consequence to me."

A finger, trailing down the thin fabric of his t-shirt, over the center of his stomach.

"And two. You're lying to yourself if you think that you want me to leave."

Reno's breathing all but stopped as Rufus' finger made its way lower, tracing over the stiff tent in his boxers that had formed over the last few minutes. If it was possible for him to turn even redder, Reno was sure that he was doing so at that moment. He averted his eyes from Rufus' cool stare, embarrassed at his body's reaction to the man.

"What are you thinking of, Reno? What dirty thoughts are passing through your head?"

"Shut up," Reno muttered, but all it earned him was an amused glance. He obtained some relief, however, when Rufus backed away, seating himself on the edge of the bed.

"Take off your shirt."

A relief short-lived. Reno hesitated, but only for a moment, fingers dancing on the edge of his shirt before pulling it up and off. He felt self-conscious with Rufus' now dark eyes scrutinizing him, felt cold even in the heat of the room.

"Lose the ponytail."

Reno reached up, snapping off the band as red hair fell over his shoulders.

"The shorts, now, but not all the way. Only enough so I can see your dick and balls. I want to watch you play with yourself."

Reno tugged the front of his boxers down with one hand as he pulled his cock out with the other. It was already so hard, an angry red color, and it felt so good to be able to touch it. It felt even better, he thought with shame, that Rufus was watching him do it.

Several clear, succinct clicks broke his reverie, and he looked up to see that Rufus had his cell phone out and pointed at him.

"What-" Reno shot forward, making a grab for the cell. He could see Rufus' eyes widen minutely, most likely surprised by the speed of his movements, but it lasted for only a moment before Rufus had his wrist in a vice grip and was twisting it behind his back. He could feel Rufus' chest against his back, and the very clear outline of a shotgun through his jacket fabric.

"Back against the wall," Rufus snarled, pushing Reno back with such force that he stumbled against it.

Reno rubbed his wrist where Rufus had twisted it, but eventually stood back up, leaning back against the wall. He was dejected to find that his erection hadn't suffered at all during the small interlude, and after a few more moments his hand moved down again, awkward and clumsy this time.

Rufus picked something up from the floor next to the bed, tossing it at Reno. Reno caught it effortlessly, the small container of baby oil familiar in his hand.

"Turn around and put your hands against the wall. I want to see you fuck yourself."

Reno turned around and bent over, pulling his shorts down a little more. There was more clicking from behind him, and he flushed to think of Rufus and his rich society friends getting together and laughing about these photos. He poured oil over his fingers and dropped the bottle, moving his hand behind himself and downwards. His eyes closed at the first breach, but he knew exactly what angles he liked, and soon he had himself moaning as he fucked himself with his fingers.

A warm presence, behind him, and Reno pressed back against it as Rufus' hands wrapped around his hips. He could fee the hardness press against his ass and he reached for it, guiding it inside of him. His mouth parted in a sigh to have Rufus inside of him again. It felt good, too good, and even better when Rufus started thrusting in and out of him. A hand wrapped itself in his hair and pulled his head back onto a shoulder, an angle that was almost painful, and small bites were lavished on his neck. He tried to focus, instead, on the pleasure that was coming from his backside, from the cock that was fucking his ass.

Rufus tensed as he came, a sudden, vocal breath the only noise he made as Reno felt hot cum shoot into him. Rufus kept thrusting with each spurt, but then he was pulling out, a sudden movement that made Reno cringe. He could feel hot cum leak out and down his thighs, and Rufus was taking pictures of that too. He felt himself being turned around, back against the wall.

"I want you to come on camera," Rufus said, voice husky, and Reno nodded as he wrapped his hand around his cock again. It only took a few strokes before he was coming, small streams of white shooting upwards to fall back down to the carpet. He was moaning, but then his legs started to feel weak. He let himself sink down along the wall, boxer shorts still around his ankles.

When he looked back up Rufus had already zipped up his pants, and was smoothing his hair back.

"Thank you, Reno," he said, a pleased smirk on his lips, "for the lovely evening."

He left without even giving Reno another glance, but at that point Reno didn't particularly care. This situation wasn't ideal, he thought, head running in circles. . . but maybe he could use this relationship to his advantage. Rufus Shinra, after all, wasn't the worse person a guy like him could know.


	3. Abduction

Tins was back in town after about three months. And while Reno didn't really need the money yet, and while he was more than happy to hang out around Hedge's porn shop all day, he was back at work. The situation was, you never knew what was going to happen on Midgar's streets, so the fatter the stash you had put away the better. So Reno found himself back at the weapons shop, sorting scrap in the back room.

"Yo, Tins," he called out, voice irritated, "don't you have any real jobs for me?"

"Sorry, Kid. Slow work day." The old man ambled into the back room, his short, stout body more nimble than it should have been. "Sides, I might not be in this game for too much longer."

Reno raised an eyebrow at that.

The man sat down on a work bench, leaning towards Reno and lowering his voice. "Running this thing, it's too much work. I've got my nest egg. Might as well head out to Dollet and retire."

"What am I supposed to do?" Reno asked.

"Who the fuck gives a shit about you, kid?" the old man asked, paternal mood over. He stood up and began to leave the room.

"Yeah, no shit." Reno stopped sorting for a moment, tossing over in his head whether or not he should ask. . . "Hey, Tins, you know anything about Rufus Shinra?"

Tins shrugged. "Not any more than any one else. Heard some guy from Sector 3 accidentally spilled soup on his suit while working construction on Shinra Tower. Heard Rufus had him gutted. That's just a story though."

Reno couldn't decide if he believed it or not.

"Heard he's gonna get a job with Shinra, soon, probably something high up."

"He's not working for them now?"

Tins shrugged. "Not officially. Not until he's legal, anyway."

Reno froze. "Legal? How old is he?"

"I don't know. Maybe 17?"

"The fuck. . ." so the sadistic pervert was just some spoiled brat? Reno didn't know why it mattered, but the thought that Rufus was actually two years younger than him made him sick. He couldn't believe the guy was just a kid. . .

"Why the interest in Shinra's kid?" Tins asked, eyes narrowed.

Reno shrugged. "Saw him around the slums and got to wondering what he was doing here."

"Yeah, well, see him again and run the other direction. Rufus isn't as nice as his old man, and his old man's one mean fucker."

Reno nodded, but figured, it's not like he had any choice in the matter.

* * *

"I've figured it out," Dill said, setting some plates in front of Reno and Hedge. His two friends shared doomed looks before looking down at the green sludge in front of them.

"What exactly," Reno asked, poking the sludge with his fork, "have you figured out?"

"My gimmick. Health food. No one expects it to taste good. . . and above platers will pay a fortune for it if they think it's good for them."

"That's cool and all," Hedge said, "but that doesn't mean we have to eat it, does it?"

Dill's eyes suddenly went very, very hard, his voice deep and foreboding. "Eat."

Reno scooped up a spoonful of oozing, stringy stuff, and held his nose as he stuffed it in his mouth.

"Hey," he said, expression brightening as his fear dissolved, "it doesn't taste like anything at all! I think this is the best thing you've ever made, yo."

"Yeah," Hedge agreed, "it's totally edible."

Dill beamed with pride, already thinking of names for his restaurant.

"I think this calls for a celebration," Hedge said, "maybe after work we could-"

"Sorry, guys," Reno interrupted, before Hedge could suggest another trip to Bumblebee or some place equally nefarious, "I have an evening job to do."

"Too bad, man, you're going to miss a fun night."

"Does fun involve running from Don Corneo's men again?" Reno asked. "Cause if it does, fuck that."

"Screw you, that chick was worth it."

"If you're charging by the pound, maybe." Reno ducked the half-hearted punch that Hedge sent his way as Dill broke out laughing. "Looks like that's my cue to leave."

Reno hopped off his stool and left the pizza place, throwing a short wave goodbye over his shoulder.

Reno's late job wasn't anything too exciting, but it did involve a lot of manual labor. Some client was getting shipments of. . . something. . . sent in, and Reno was security detail and unloader all in one. There were trucks full of the crates, and Reno worked side by side with the client's regular guys to get them unloaded.

It was close to ten by the time that Reno finished, the last truck driving away. His body ached from all the large crates he had had to unload. Reno headed back to his bike, wondering if she was going to start tonight or if he was going to walk her home. When he got there he tensed, aware of a car driving up, and not one of those shipping trucks. The event was suspicious for the mere fact that no one drove cars in the slums, and Reno had about one guess who it could be. The car, black, sleek, and new, stopped in front of him, the door on each side opening and two large men stepping out.

"Reno. If you'll come with us, please."

"Fuck you," Reno replied, pretty sure these guys weren't going to kill him. "I'm tired."

"I'm afraid you don't have any choice in the matter." They weren't blue suits, and they weren't SOLDIERs, as far as Reno could tell, but they were definitely Shinra. Security, maybe, who knows, but only Shinra moved through Midgar with that type of confidence.

"I'm fucking going home," Reno said, swinging a leg to get onto his bike. In a petulant mood, he figured that if Rufus wanted him Rufus could come get him himself.

One of the guys moved to grab him, but Reno ducked down with lightning fast reflexes, sliding off his bike and aiming a punch at the guy's stomach. He came up to the guys side and got into stance to aim a kick at his head, but he had underestimated his partner's speed, and he felt his mouth fill up with blood as his face reeled to the side from a punch. He wound up scrambled on the floor, fingers moving to where the guy's ring had cut open his lip, and then two men used the opportunity to drag him up and slam him into the backseat.

"Fuck." His head hit the window on the other side, and Reno rubbed at it, sure that it would swell up given an hour or so.

The men got into the front seats, silent, and started off. Reno slumped back in his seat, figuring there was nothing for him to do now. He just hoped his bike would still be there when he got back, and not taken apart for scraps or something like that.

They drove in silence the rest of the way, towards the center of the city. Reno knew what was there, the whole city did, but few people were able to gain access to the place. The Shinra elevators. It's what the company used when they needed to move things up or down plate, metal, helicopters, people. Most imports and exports were shipped via the above plate airport, but Reno figured Shinra would need a more covert way of moving certain things.

There were no less than five ID checkpoints before they were on one of the elevators, huge, steel things that could fit several cars at least. The trip up was slow, but not as slow as the normal elevators, and came up directly into Shinra Corp. headquarters.

The henchmen pulled him harshly out of the car, and, one more elevator ride later, he was pushed into a room on what he gathered was the thirtieth floor of Shinra Towers. The door clicked closed behind him, and a young women looked up at him from behind a desk, confusion clear behind that pleasant smile, though it didn't last long.

"Mr. Shinra will be with you shortly."

The room wasn't what he expected. . . small and windowless, it didn't exactly resonate with what he had come to know about Rufus. It did have a modern grey scheme and sleek furniture, and he made himself as comfortable as he could in one of the small chairs. Soon the secretary was in front of him, holding out a wet handkerchief.

"For your lip."

"Umm. . . thanks," Reno replied, head a little muddled. Rufus had seen fit to have him violently abducted from the slums, only to make him wait in this surreal little room? He moved the handkerchief to his lip, flinching when he realized it was wet with rubbing alcohol. Bracing himself, he pressed it against his lip again.

He must have been waiting in that little room for half and hour, but then something on the woman's desk was buzzing.

"Mr. Shinra will see you now," the secretary said, getting up herself. She bent down and grabbed a jacket from underneath her desk, and Reno figured it was probably well past the end of her work day. "Please don't keep Mr. Shinra up for too long. For some one who doesn't technically work here yet, he pulls too many late nights."

Reno sniffed at that, figuring she thought he was another business associate or something. "Yeah, I'll try to keep it short."

He paused before the door, but then he was pushing it in, and the room behind it was much more what he had in mind when he thought Rufus Shinra. It was cavernous. High ceilings, floor-to-ceiling glass, black leather and steel. There was a miniature jungle built along a rounded wall of the wall, brightly lit. A huge black panther laid on the edge of the unenclosed space, and Reno thought it was some kind of statue until it stretched, razor sharp claws extending as it watched Reno move deeper into the room.

Rufus was sitting on a large leather chair behind a sleek black metal desk, clean despite all the things that were on it. His face was saturated in a soft, green light cast from his computer screen, but then he was shutting it off, watching as Reno stopped in front of his desk.

"Come here," he said, moving back so that Reno would have space to stand in front of him.

Reno walked forward and around, coming to a stop in front of Rufus and leaning against the desk. "Most people just call, yo."

Rufus reached a hand up to trace the contours of Reno's cheek, fingers deceptively soft. His fingertips meandered lower and pressed against the edge of his bottom lip, almost hard enough to reopen the cut. "You should really stop getting yourself hurt like this."

Reno bit the inside of his cheek to stop from saying something back to that comment.

Rufus dropped his hand then, leaning back into his chair and spreading his legs. "I was in need of a diversion from work."

Reno looked down before getting to his knees on the cold granite floor. He had barely gotten into position when Rufus' hand was tangled in the hair at the back of his head, pulling him forward into his crotch.

"No hands," Rufus said.

Reno squirmed a little, but kept his hands on the edges of Rufus' thighs. It wasn't a difficult trick for him to get the button and zipper of Rufus' pants undone with just his teeth and tongue, and he was rewarded with the outline of Rufus' half-hard erection against his boxer briefs. Reno leaned forward, wrapping his mouth around the side of it through the thin fabric, sucking as best he could. He smiled as Rufus' breathing slow, became heavier, and nuzzled his cheek against the now very impressive erection.

He used his tongue to coax Rufus' cock through the slit in the fabric, then licked and sucked his way from the base upwards. When he got to the tip he had barely gotten his mouth around the cockhead, tongue just able to lap up the pre-cum there, when Rufus' hand was slamming his mouth down onto the whole thing.

"You're being so obedient today." There was maybe a tinge of disappointment in Rufus' voice, Reno wasn't sure, and he wondered if the sick fuck actually got off on a a little resistance. Reno's nose was pressed up against fine blond pubic hairs, and he remembered how Rufus liked being deep-throated. The hand kept him pressed there until he started gagging, unable to take the deep penetration for much longer, before giving him some slack.

He pulled himself up further on Rufus' cock before bobbing back down, building a rhythm as he fucked his mouth on it. But Rufus' cock really was perfect for sucking off, Reno thought, long and slender, with just the right curve to it. It tasted good too, clean and smooth, and he could feel his own cock getting harder as he sucked on it.

Soon Reno could taste hot semen filling up his mouth. His head was harshly yanked backwards, and he could feel the last few jets of cum splatter on his face. After Rufus was done coming Reno leaned forward again, taking the quickly softening cock into his mouth to suck out any last drops of cum.

The tension on the back of his head eased as Rufus withdrew his hand, moving it instead to adjust himself inside his boxer briefs and zip up his pants. Then his hands were around Reno's head, brushing red hair out of his way, Reno blinking up at him through the cum and saliva on his face.

"You really do look beautiful like this," Rufus said, his lips a soft smirk.

There was a gentle cough from the periphery of the room, and Reno's eyes widened and cheeks flushed when he looked towards the door to see two men standing there. He scrambled to look in the direction opposite from them, grabbing tissues from Rufus' desk to clean up the mess on his face.

"Gentlemen," Rufus said, in way of greeting. "Tseng, will you please take Reno to my room to get cleaned up? And, Heidigger, I believe you have a report to give me."

"Of course, sir."

Reno was still frozen in embarrassment, only half aware of footsteps coming across the room and a gentle but firm hand around his arm. It wasn't until they were in some small, private elevator that he was clear-headed enough to assess the situation.

The man Rufus had called Tseng was a blue suit. Tall, with medium-length black hair that was pulled back in a tight ponytail. There was an exotic slant to his eyes, and Reno guessed he was from Wutai, an interesting fact given Wutai's relationship with Shinra. Muscular, but in a slim way, in a way that reminded Reno of the panther in Rufus' office. Just waiting for the chance to pounce.

"Clean yourself off better," Tseng said, voice deep and slow. "It's an embarrassment."

Reno flushed in anger and embarrassment. "Fuck you. Who are you to talk anyway, some lapdog to Shinra Corp? Folks back in Wutai proud of you?"

"You're one to talk about pride. I'm not the one with Rufus Shinra's cum all over my face."

Reno struck out before he even realized it, turning around to send his fist towards the expressionless man. Tseng was quick, moving out of the way, but Reno smirked to see his ring spread a thin line of red along Tseng's cheek. The smirk was quickly wiped off his face, however, when Tseng grabbed his wrist and twisted it painfully around, using the leverage to thrust him head first into the wall.

"Pretty sure," Reno said, vision blurring dangerously, "Rufus would be pissed if you killed me."

"Yes. But I don't think he'll mind if I rough you up a little."

The elevator chimed as the doors opened, and Rufus felt himself being thrown out of it and into what looked like a penthouse suite. He quickly turned around, putting himself in a defensive position, but Tseng only stood in the elevator. He was leaning against the door to prevent it from closing, calm again, eyes gently assessing Reno.

"Mr. Reno," Tseng said, "what exactly is it that you do down in Sector 9?"

Reno relaxed a little, happy to have their little argument dropped. "Temp work."

"Temp. Work."

"Yeah, you know. Other people have little jobs they need done. I go do them."

Tseng nodded and stepped back into the elevator, not saying another word as the doors closed.

After he left Reno took the opportunity to look around. He had never seen a place like this before, large and lavishly decorated. The elevator opened up to a black marble foyer, which in turned opened up to a huge living space. There were floor-to-ceiling windows and balconies, looking over a Midgar that Reno had never seen before. He put his hands on the glass, amazed. Skyscrapers, glowing and vibrant, laid out below him, a starry night sky above.

He looked back around. The space was one huge, undivided area. A living room slash office area made up the left side, with a desk and some couches and bookshelves, all matching perfectly. The bedroom made up the right side, a few steps leading up to the biggest bed Reno had ever seen, covered with black satin sheets. He could see a marble bathroom through a doorway there, and debated really getting cleaned up, but that thought disappeared as soon as he sat down on the bed.

He had never felt such a thing. He laid down, and it was as if the bed was trying to swallow him whole. Well, he though, kicking off his shoes and pulling off his clothes, it wouldn't hurt to take a nap until Rufus finished.

The chime of the elevator was what woke Reno, always a light sleeper, up. He looked at the clock on the nightstand, red numbers glowing just past two am. Propping himself up on his forearms, he watched as Rufus made his way inside the room.

The blond made his way to the living area first, pouring himself a glass of liquor, before heading to the bedroom. His glass was placed down on the table at the foot of the bed, and he carefully removed his jacket and placed it on a chair. It was followed by his tie, then shirt, then pants, and finally, his boxers.

Reno had never actually seen Rufus completely nude before, so he took the time to enjoy it as Rufus crawled over to him on the bed. The man's skin was flawless, smooth over subtly defined muscles. Reno spread his legs open further to accommodate the other man as he settled above him. His hands moved up to touch the arms on either side of him.

"Nice digs," he said, mostly as a way of relieving the tension and silence he felt had fallen over them. Rufus was just staring at him, blue eyes clear even in the dark, but completely unreadable.

"Are they? I don't stay here enough to know."

A question on his lips, but then Rufus was bending down to capture them, and Reno let his tension melt into the kiss. His hands moved upwards to smooth over the lines of Rufus' back. One of Rufus' hands moved to the cleft of his ass, rubbing circles around the opening there. The kiss deepened, and then it was gone.

"I've wanted to fuck you all night," Rufus whispered harshly, and Reno's breath caught as two fingers pushed themselves into him. "All I could think about was how hot and tight you would feel around me."

The fingers were quickly replaced with something bigger, and Reno wrapped his legs around Rufus' waist as his cock sunk deeper inside of him. Rufus started to fuck him then, too hard, too violent, but, Reno was learning, exactly how he liked it.


	4. The Heist

Reno wasn't surprised when Rufus was gone in the morning. It's not as though he expected cuddling and breakfast from some one like Rufus Shinra. He wondered how he was supposed to navigate his way out of the building, but the small elevator only went to one place, and that was to the hallway outside of Rufus' office. And when he got there there was a guard waiting for him, more than happy to escort him out. As soon as he got home he fell back into bed. It had, after all, been a long night.

* * *

Reno's cell phone buzzed and vibrated on the floor of his coffin. A dull, soft noise, but enough to wake him up, and when he picked it up he saw it was almost two in the afternoon.

"Hello?" he said, his tongue thick with sleep.

"Reno, my man," came Gabe's voice, though it took Reno a moment or two to place. "How are you doing this fine day?"

"It's the same old shit as any other day," Reno replied. He made a grab for his cigarettes. "What's with the phone call?"

"I have a job you might be interested. Are you looking for work?"

Reno paused. Thought about it for a second. "Yeah, man, I'm always looking for work."

"That's nice to know, my man." A chuckle, low and humorless. "Stop by my office sometime today. At your leisure, of course."

Reno sat up as he hung up the phone. He took a drag, enjoying it for a moment, wondering what Gabe had in mind.

An hour later he was outside of the familiar office, feeling a lot better than he had an hour before. Awake, clean, and caffeinated, he all but bounded up the stairs to Gabe's office. Some one was coming out, one of Gabe's regular men, a muscle-bound tough with a mohawk that barely came up to Reno's shoulders.

"Go ahead," the guy said as he walked past Reno, "no one else in there right now."

Reno pushed the door open and stepped in, taking a seat when Gabe motioned for him to do so.

"Reno. I'm glad you came."

"Yeah, well, could always use the extra cash. This doesn't involve Shinra, does it?"

"Would it bother you if it did?" the words came from the door, and Rufus flicked lazy eyes over to see a tall, black-haired man blocking the doorway.

"Reno," Gabe said, "this is my business associate at the moment, Yuta."

"Yeah," Reno said, "got it. And, yeah, I'm not getting involved if Shinra is. You really fucked me over last time Gabe."

There was a silence then, Gabe and Yuta intently watching Reno, and the tension of it was enough to make Reno sit up a little straighter then he had been. His eyes made a quick scan of the room. Possible exits, possible techniques, possible weapons. Not that he didn't have some on himself.

"Did we?" Gabe asked. He leaned forward, smiling in a very hard way. "Reno, you wouldn't mind indulging me, would you? If I asked you one small question."

"Shoot."

"What exactly is your relationship with Rufus Shinra?"

Reno felt himself go cold. "You kidding? You think someone with a name like Shinra knows someone like me?"

"That's exactly what we think," Yuta replied, moving forward to stand by Gabe's desk. "In fact, that's what we know. We've seen Rufus come to your apartment. We've seen you escorted to and from Shinra Towers. So, Reno, if you would please answer the question."

"So we've fucked a few times," Reno said, careful to watch their reactions. "I don't know him. Wouldn't even be able to get in touch with him if I wanted to."

"Are you sure about that?" Gabe asked. "Because there are two people who are, right now, very interested that you get in touch with Rufus Shinra."

Gabe pressed a button on a remote on his desk, and one of the monitors behind him flickered to life. Reno's hands clenched around the armrests of his chair as he watched the scene unfold. Hedge and Dill, confined in some small room somewhere, looking completely bored and a little concerned but ultimately unharmed.

"What exactly do you want from me?" Reno asked. "Whatever you want, I don't have it."

"But Rufus does," Yuta explained. "You see, right now Shinra is stockpiling weapons and materia in the jungles outside Wutai. We want the locations of these storehouses. We want the passcodes."

Reno shook his head. "So, what? You think Rufus will give that information to me? Sorry to break it to you, but I ain't got that kind of pull."

Gabe studied him, leaned back in his chair. "You better find some way, Reno, sometime in the next twenty-four hours. Because if you don't, my man, your friends are dead."

Gabe was smiling at him, a polite, pleasure-doing-business-with-you smile, but his eyes were hard and vacant. Reno's mouth was dry, and for once he didn't know what to say back. It was a moot point anyway, as there were guards pulling him out of his chair and tossing him out of the office.

"Twenty-four hours," Yuta said from the doorway, "I look forward to hearing back from you, Reno."

Reno walked a little bit, not really sure of where he was going, before collapsing in some random, darkened alleyway. His legs just gave out from underneath him. He cradled his head in his hands, heart racing. He felt sick. What the fuck was he going to do?

* * *

Shinra Showroom was a huge, multi-floor affair, taking up the first six floors of Shinra Towers. It was where the latest in technology would be shown off, from cars to computers to microwaves, on bright and well-lit platforms that turned and floated appealingly for consumers. It was the most accessible part of Shinra Towers, some mechanism of security protecting it from where Shinra's decisions were really made.

Reno had been making his way through it for a few hours, searching for just what that mechanism was. He was careful to avoid cameras and security guards, knowing that he looked suspicious enough, even if he hadn't been loitering around the showroom for so long. The possibilities ran themselves over in his head, but none of them looked good. He could just try to fight his way up. . . that was the plan that he called Certain Suicide. No, he was calculating for survival, so it had to be something covert.

As far as he could tell, the workers here didn't even have clearance to enter the rest of the tower, connected to the showroom by a certain pair of elevators in a less crowded area of the store, two guards always standing outside of them. Jesus, Reno though, Shinra and their secret elevators. In the few hours he had been staking it out, Reno saw maybe one person go in through those elevators.

There was another entrance, through the lobby of Shinra Corp., but that was even more heavily guarded. There were five checkpoints to go through just to get inside of there, and Reno didn't have the time to make up the proper credentials. Besides, the guards here in the showroom seemed less alert.

What Reno needed now was a diversion. It had to be big enough to distract the guards at the elevator, but small enough that it didn't raise any further inquiries when it was over. It was a hard line to walk and Reno wasn't really sure how to do it.

Well, it was now or never.

There was an alarm rigged to all the doors and openings that led to the showroom, and there was a window in the bathroom. Reno made his way there. It was inactive, but he knew a little bit about electronics, and pretty soon had it up and buzzing. He quickly ducked out of the bathroom, avoiding the cameras he had noted before, and was careful to stay within hearing distance but out of sight of the guards.

Out of the periphery of his eye, he could see one of the guards take out his walkie talkie.

"Security breach in section 018A. Report."

Reno figured that the elevator guards wouldn't go inspect it themselves, but he was hoping that with enough times. . . of course, this could all lead nowhere, and he'd be back to the drawing board, but Reno always did have luck on his side.

It was only a few minutes before another guard walked up to the other two.

"Reporting on the breach. Where's the location?"

"It seems to be coming from the bathroom."

The new guard nodded before heading in that direction. Pretty soon the buzzing of the alarm had stopped, and the guard had walked away.

Reno waited half an hour for the next attempt, but then he was ducking back into the bathroom and setting the alarm off again.

"Security breach in section 018A. Report."

A different guard came calling this time, something that put Reno just a little bit at ease with his plan.

"Hey, guys. So where's this breach?"

A few minutes and the alarm was off again, a great relief to the few customers who found themselves shopping in this section today. Reno didn't even wait fifteen minutes to set off the alarm next time. The guard's walkie talkie buzzed to life.

"Security breach in section 018A. Report."

Third time was the charm. Silence, for a minute or two, before the other side buzzed to life. "018A, why don't you go check it out yourselves. The alarm seems to be malfunctioning, just turn it off."

"Understood."

One of the elevators guard left to the bathroom then, and Reno strode up to the man who was left, knowing he only had a few minutes before the other guard came back. He smoothed the wrinkles of the black suit he had "borrowed" from floor 4, clothing and home goods, as he walked towards the elevator.

"Reporting on the breach," he said, "same place as the other two times?"

"It's being taken care of."

"Really?" Reno eyed the guard suspiciously. "That's not what they told me."

The guard shifted uncomfortably under Reno's gaze, but shrugged. "Sorry. Miscommunication, I guess."

"Yeah, well, I've gotta go up to the lobby anyway, so I guess my coming over here wasn't a total loss.

The guard nodded, and Reno slipped inside the elevator.

The elevator spit him out into the lobby, and Reno quickly made his way to the periphery of the large room as he thought. He wondered if half the job would be figuring which elevator would take him to each floor. But he found the stairs pretty quickly, and soon he was racing upwards. They stopped at the twentieth floor, and Reno wasn't sure whether to be relieved he had gotten so far or disappointed that they didn't go all the way up to the thirtieth.

"Well," he said to himself, "only ten more to go."

Only ten more flights to go, but no plan and no cover in case any one came across him at the moment. Stay calm, he thought, walking through the hallway. He took note of the names on the doors and the directions he was going in, making a map in his head of the layout. It was a completely different part of the building than the one he had been in that morning, but there were two competing goals in his mind: either find a keycard and the proper elevator, or find a staircase going up.

"Excuse me. Can I help you?"

Reno nearly jumped at the voice, at least inwardly. From all outward appearances he wasn't phased by the interruption, only turning around to look at the security guard with one of those smug smiles elite businessman were always using.

"I was just on my way to see Elliot," Reno said, regurgitating a name he had seen on one of the doors earlier before. He dug his hands in his pocket. Knives and other assorted knick knacks at the ready, just in case.

The man stared back at him for longer than made Reno comfortable. He seemed like he was about to believe him, but then. . . "I'll walk you to his office, sir."

Crap. Reno smiled as he followed the guard. It seemed as though he couldn't avoid physical confrontation any more. This would start the clock, Reno knew, on how much time he would have in the building. As soon as someone found the guard's body or the guard woke up. . . but there was nothing for it. As they neared a janitorial closet that Reno had found before, Reno swung into action, moving forward to knock the guard's head into the wall. Before the man could say anything Reno covered his mouth and shoved a tranquilizer dart into his arm, holding him until he went still.

Reno moved the body into the closet, taking the time to bound and gag him before making a search of his body. Five separate key cards, Reno saw with glee, hoping at least one of them would take him up to the thirtieth.

He made his way out, locking the door, and made his way again down the hallways. Every footstep or voice that he heard caused his breathing to slow and his pulse to quicken, but he didn't pass any one else. It took him ten minutes to find himself in the elevator marked 20-30, but that ten minutes felt like hours.

His fingers fumbled as he took the keycards out of his pocket.

"Come on, lady luck, don't fail me now."

He inserted the first card. Red light. Second card. Red light. Third card. Red light. His heart was pounding in his ears now, and he imagined the security guard waking up and pounding at the closet door. He held the last card up to his lips, gave it a kiss, and inserted it.

Green light.

Reno couldn't help the grin that spread over his face as he got into the elevator and hit the number thirty. The elevator turned out to be a glass one on the periphery of Shinra Tower's thinner upper levels, and as it rose out of the twentieth floor and into the night sky, all of Midgar rose up below him. Reno placed his hands on the glass, breathing a little bit easier.

Maybe, he finally let himself think, I can actually get away with this.

The elevator chimed at thirty and Reno got out, soon finding himself in a familiar hallway. He was high on adrenaline now, and he needed it, at least for the next piece of bravado he was about to pull off.

Steeling a breath, Reno walked right into the outer chambers of Rufu Shinra's office.

Reno smiled as he made his way to the secretary, who smiled pleasantly back up at him in remembrance.

"Hi, doll," Reno said. "How are you today?"

"Oh, just fine, thank you," the woman said, giggling. Reno was much too young for her to take any kind of flirtation seriously, but as a woman of a more vintage age, she always enjoyed the attention. "Are you here to see Mr. Shinra again?"

"No, I don't want to bother him. I was just wondering if you could tell me if he had any breaks scheduled for today. I might stop by then."

"Oh, let me see." The woman turned to her computer screen, looking over whatever data she had on there. "I'm sorry, no. He has a break at eight, but he's already scheduled a dinner meeting for then."

"Will he be here for that meeting?"

"Oh, no, it's with his father. They'll probably be going out to one of those fancy restaurants President Shinra likes so much."

"Of course. I'll call him later to schedule something. No need to let him know I stopped by."

Reno winked at the woman and stepped out of the room, knowing exactly what his next plan of action was. It was nice, he thought, to actually have an action plan, after the last few hours of improvisation, even if it wasn't the most foolproof one.

There was a small hallway next to Rufus' office. And at the end of the small hallway was a small window, set high against the ceiling. The window itself led to a near-ninety degree drop off of Shinra Tower. Reno, for once glad for his skinnier-than average frame, flipped open the window and jumped out.

Fingers, curling around a metal ledge, and Reno was hanging on by a thread. It was freezing up this high, and his fingers hurt from holding on for even thirty seconds, but if he fell just right. . . he let go with his right hand, pushing himself off the wall to flip himself over so he was facing outward, then let go with his other hand too. The maneuver generated enough leftward momentum that he started sliding to the side, much, much more quickly then he thought he would. The glass burned his hands as he slid, and he could feel glass and metal rip into his clothes and skin. But he was only falling for a second, and then his legs were colliding dangerously with solid ground. The balcony outside Rufus' office.

It was the landing that nearly killed him, knees buckling forward in a way that almost sent him past the railing. But then he was standing stable, laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation. What the fuck had he just done? He stared downward off the balcony, and he couldn't even see the ground it was so high.

Reno laughed. He reached until his pocket for a cigarette. He had some time to kill, any way, before 8:00 pm.

He waited until 8:20. He couldn't see past the thick curtains whether Rufus was still there or not, and he couldn't hear any sound, so he had to be careful. At any rate, the window itself wasn't hard to pick. . . Reno figured Shinra wouldn't be too worried about people breaking in from the outside on the thirtieth floor.

Reno was relieved to find that, true to plans, Rufus wasn't there. The room was completely dark save for the bright light of the jungle terrarium, green-blue eyes glowing at him from the leaves. But the overgrown cat wasn't making any movements towards him, and at that moment Reno was glad that Rufus had brought him up here just the night before.

He sat down in front of the computer, turning it on and getting his USB ready. He didn't even know if the information Gabe wanted was going to be on the thing. He didn't really have time to sit there and look. But, he figured, if any one was going to have information on anything Shinra-related, it would be Rufus. He started the process to copy the entire hard drive onto his USB, sitting back as the timer came onto the screen.

Plus, he figured, even if the exact information Gabe wanted wasn't there, there was bound to be something on that hard drive that would be worth the lives of two slum punks.

The transfer finished with no interruptions. Reno pulled out his USB, turned off the computer. The lights weren't on in the outer room so, figuring the secretary had left, he just walked out. He walked out of Rufus Shinra's office, into an elevator, and out of Shinra Towers.

Reno couldn't help the shit-eating grin from spreading across his face. Now that he wasn't in danger anymore, he let his most recent accomplishment sink into his head. He had actually done it. He had taken on Shinra and lived to tell about it.

Meanwhile, Tseng sat in a vast office on the seventh floor of Shinra Tower, watching a few of the many monitors that formed the long wall of the room, each hooked up to a specific security camera in the building. Well, he thought, that had been quite the entertainment. He leaned back in his chair, got up, and slowly walked to the window.

He imagined he could see an unruly mop of red hair disappearing into the crowd. He smiled to himself, then flipped open his cell phone.

"Have a car brought around to the front," he said. "I feel like a drive."


	5. Rejection

Some sections of Midgar directly on plate didn't look all that much better than areas below plate. You had to go up a dozen floors or so, Reno guessed, before you got the decent living above platers were known for. The sections that weren't so great were the sections that had elevators in them, translating to looser immigration patterns then what above platers would normally allow.

So as Reno made his way towards the elevators, it was almost like he was back below plate already. Sure, the lighting was different, and it was cleaner, more sanitized, but you could see the same type of establishments and the same type of people mulling around.

Once he was within a block of the elevators he could see the crowd waiting to get on, which wasn't that much of a surprise at this time of night. It was still rush hour, after all. But there was a kind of restless, nervous energy reverberating through the crowd, and Reno pushed his way through as he tried to gather what was going on.

"Goddamned Shinra," some one was muttering, "do whatever they want."

There were more angry murmurs and curses as he made his way through the people, and eventually Reno tugged at some one's arm sleeve.

"Hey," he said, "what's going on?"

"Elevators are shut down."

Reno felt his heart drop down to his stomach. "Wait, what? What do you mean shut down?"

"Exactly what it sounds like, jackass. What do you think it means?"

Reno looked towards the huge structure that housed the elevators, suddenly aware that no one had been moving in or out of any of them since he had gotten there. Not as though they were quick or anything, but you'd usually see some kind of activity from at least one of them in twenty minutes. He made his way back out of the crowd. Maybe the other elevators were still working. Section 5 had them too, Reno knew.

But even as he thought it he knew it was hopeless. There was no way to get back below plate.

He sank down in a curb, head in his hands, wiling himself to think of a plan and getting nowhere. Futile attempts to storm the Shinra elevators or repel down the outer walls ran through his mind, plans he knew wouldn't work as soon as they formulated themselves in his head.

Reno was so consumed in thought that he didn't notice as two armed men made their way towards him. But then a hand was on his arm, pulling him up, and he was rounding back to punch whoever it was that had him in their grip. Flashes of blue suits, but his fist was missing, just around the same time one was embedding itself into his stomach. All the air rushed out of him as he slumped forward, but he wasn't down for the count yet, and he grabbed onto the man's shoulders as he slammed their heads together.

It made him dizzy, but it made the blue suit lose his grip. Just minutely, just enough for Reno to twist away. But then something was being slammed into the back of his neck, the end of something hard and stiff, and he felt electricity crackle out of it and through his body. The blow and the voltage sent him twitching on the floor, and when it was done he could lift himself up just enough to cough blood up on the pavement.

The two men had him now, were picking him up and putting handcuffs on him, and they pulled him over to the side of the elevators. There was a small, bare room there, looking like an interrogation room in one of those movies if it weren't for all the clutter along the edges. They tossed him into a wooden chair, so hard he almost fell off on the other side.

"Reno. How nice to see you again."

Reno looked up to see a familiar face smiling at him, calm and pristine from across the expanse of a small table.

"Tseng. You here to fetch me for Rufus? That your job, running errands for the spoiled brat?"

"I think we both know why I'm here, Reno," a touch of cold finality in his voice.

Reno could feel his mouth go dry.

"The USB drive, please."

"Fuck you," Reno said, and one of the other blue suits punched him viciously on the side of his mouth. It snapped his head to the side and sent blood welling up inside his mouth.

"Language, Reno."

Reno spit out onto the table, spraying blood onto the wood laminate. He was nervous, now, adrenaline leaving him and a certain kind of coldness settling in. When he spoke again it was spit out too, words mingled with the blood. "I can't."

To his surprise, the comment only brought a smile to Tseng's lips. Tseng leaned back in his chair, considering. "Ah, yes, your friends. Well, then, I suppose that leaves us with two options. One, I can kill you right now and just take what I want. That means, of course, that Gabe will kill your two friends."

Reno felt a chill go through his body. So this was it.

"Or, two, I can offer you a job."

"The fuck?" It was surprise that made him say it, but no one was throwing any punches at his mouth this time.

Tseng's lips twitched, and Reno could almost hear the chuckle that was stifled behind them. Sadistic fuckers, all of them, Rufus and Tseng and every one at Shinra.

"And why the fuck would you do that?" Reno asked, head swirling with thoughts of what a job offer even really meant.

"Reno," Tseng started, and it seemed as though he was cutting out that polite surname crap once and for all, "are you aware of what we do for Shinra?"

"Dirty laundry," Reno answered, because that's what all the rumors said and so far those rumors had been proven to be true.

"Officially, we're the The Investigative Division of General Affairs Department. Unofficially, we're called the Turks. Covert ops for Shinra Corp. Infiltration, assassination, information gathering, peacekeeping-"

Reno scoffed at that last pretty phrase in the bunch.

"-pretty much anything that needs to be done, plus recruiting for Shinra's military. Basically, we're in the business of making sure Shinra stays on top."

"So, what, I steal some data from your company and you give me a ticket to easy street? Seems too good to be true, yo."

"Yes, well, we've recruited worse."

"What about my friends?"

"You're lucky, Reno," Tseng replied. "Gabriel Mortimer is a problem Shinra would be more than happy to help you take care of."

* * *

Reno had never been in this room before. All his dealings with Gabe so far had been done in that tiny second-story office Gabe kept. But now he saw that the first floor of the house was, in effect, a small warehouse. The guard led him past mounds of crates, his borrowed dress shoes scraping on the concrete floor.

Gabe was seated at a large, ornate desk in a corner of the warehouse, near the large loading door. Crates were stacked haphazardly around the desk, almost like a fort about to come unglued. Yuta sat in another chair more towards the wall, more observer than participant in the transaction.

"Reno, my man." Gabe smiled, a mean little quirk of his lips. "I knew you would come through."

Reno held up a large, red envelope, passing it across the desk to Gabe. The label on the spine read "Wutai Exports," and Reno knew that inside were papers purporting to document the locations and quantities of weapons being sent into the continent.

"You wouldn't mind if we verify this information, would you, Reno?"

"And how long would that take?"

"Oh, a few days, maybe."

Two of Gabe's men were already walking towards him, and Reno made a mild protest as each one grabbed one of Reno's arms. "What the fuck, Mort? You told me you'd let my friends go!"

"Oh, we will," Gabe replied, "as soon as we make sure this data is correct."

Reno tried to pull his arms away from the guards' strong grip, but they easily lifted him off his feet. They half dragged him down a short flight of stairs and a hallway, tossing him into a small corner room.

"Reno! What the hell?" It was Hedge's voice, angry and frantic.

"What is this?" Dill chimed in, looking up from where he was sitting on a cot. "What are you mixed up in?"

"We can do the explanation thing some other time, yo," Reno replied, turning back to the door and listening to make sure the guards were leaving. "For now, I'm sorry, drinks on me later, and get back."

"What-"

Reno sprung back then, knocking Hedge to the ground as there was a small explosion from the door. A minute amount of explosives, courtesy of Shinra R&D, and Reno was pushing the door out.

"Well, what are you guys waiting for?" Reno said as he made his way to the door, turning around with a smirk on his lips. "Come on, I think I know the way out."

Reno led his friends back up the hallway, but instead of going back out through the warehouse he led them in the opposite direction. There was a small door there that opened up into a narrow alley, and Reno rushed his friends out first.

"Look, Shinra's outside, they're cool."

Hedge and Dill ran out first, and Reno was about to follow when he felt his jacket being pulled back and found himself being tossed into a nearby storeroom. He crashed through some cardboard boxes and landed hard on one shoulder. As soon as he could he pushed himself back up and into as good of a defensive stance as he could. The light from the hallway was suddenly blocked by a huge, human silhouette, the outline of thick muscles visible even in the dark.

"Reno, my man. You disappoint me."

Reno backed up as Gabe stepped forward, his movements slow, deliberate, intimidating. Patience, Reno thought, patience, just wait for an opening. . . but then a thickly-muscled arm was swinging towards him, surprisingly fast, and as it hit him in the face he was thrown off his feet and into a wooden crate.

Fuck, Reno thought, scrambling to his feet. He could taste blood in his mouth again, and thought, this was just not his night. Gabe was looming in front of him again, threw another punch, and this one Reno could dodge. Gabe's fist smashed into the wall, plaster and wood flying into the sky.

Reno crouched down, getting ready for Gabe to turn around. His hand reached behind him to a long rod he had begged off of Tseng earlier that night. As soon as Gabe had turned he pounced. Reno sprung up from the crouch with one hand wrapped around the rod, another pushed against the back of it. Run, jump, and then he was jamming the EMR into the soft hollow of Gabe's throat and turning the electricity on full blast.

Gabe fell like a steel statue, and Reno fell with him, landing on top of the prone body with a thud. Reno could hear blood boiling and could see it pour out in rivulets around the rod. He stood up and wiped his hands off before reaching down to retrieve his new toy. A foot on Gabe's face for leverage, he had to use both hands to pull the EMR out, and once he did blood splattered out to shoot on his clothing.

"You couldn't have been any cleaner about it?"

Reno looked up to see Tseng staring at him from the doorway, an amused expression on his face.

"You know," Reno said, twirling the EMR in his hand, "I think I really like this thing."

The two walked out of the room, and as they made their way through the warehouse Reno whistled when he saw Yuta's body. Throat slashed in a neat, tidy line.

"Your work?" he asked Tseng.

"Mmm." A little noise of satisfaction and pride.

"Who was that guy, anyway?"

"The ambassador from Wutai, actually," Tseng replied. "They'll use this incident to formally declare war, of course, but that's where we were headed anyway."

Tseng regarded Reno with a poignant expression. "Do you think you're up to it?"

Reno shrugged. "A job's a job, boss."

* * *

Reno leaned against the most comfortable couch he had ever had the privilege of sitting in, all plush leather and deep cushions. He was enjoying the feel of his new clothing on his skin. Cotton and wool, shiny new shoes, and that beautiful shade of blue. He had foregone the tie, of course, but Tseng and the big boss hadn't seemed to mind.

"So it's mine?" Reno had asked. "I've really got the job?"

The big man named Veld had shrugged. "Provided you make it through basic training, but I doubt it will be a big problem for you. I wouldn't recommend wearing the suit there, though. Maybe something in the way of sweats."

So here he was, waiting on this big comfy couch for a certain elevator door to chime. Reno adjusted his collar when it finally did, opening to reveal none other than Rufus Shinra. Rufus took three steps into his suite before he saw Reno, but when he finally did his face was an unadulterated kind of shock that Reno spent every second relishing.

"How do I look, yo?" Reno asked, stupid smile on his face.

The look of surprise faded into nothingness. Just glacier blue eyes, and under Rufus' frigid stare Reno started to regret coming up here.

"Did you steal that suit or did Veld actually give you a job?"

"Off to Junon for boot camp tomorrow."

Rufus nodded before going to pour himself a drink. Awkward silence stretched out between them, Reno fidgeting as Rufus sipped on his cognac. This was not, Reno thought, what he had been expecting when he came up here. He knew that they didn't have any kind of relationship, really, but the other man had always been up for a round of great sex before.

"Good luck," Rufus finally said, sitting down on his armchair. "Now get out of my suite."

Reno blinked. "Excuse me?"

Rufus' eyes met his then, vaguely irritated, maybe even a little bit angry. "I think you heard me."

Reno shifted, once, twice, the sound of fabric and leather uncomfortably loud in the space. He stood up, not knowing what else to do but leave. "So. . . what, I'm a Turk now, and you're all of a sudden not interested?"

"The Turks," Rufus said, the nickname spat with so much vitriol it made Reno flinch, "have never been anything but a thorn in my side."

It was a statement that would continue to confuse him for the next few years. But, at that moment, all Reno gathered was that he wasn't welcome. He made his way to the elevator, turning around once to look back at Rufus, who only continued to drink as he sat facing the window.


End file.
